WWE Fastlane 2018: Live stream, start time, match card and more
By Luke Norris
A look at the full match card, start time, live stream information and more for the 2018 edition of WWE Fastlane.
With WrestleMania 34 right around the corner, there’s only one pit stop left on the road to New Orleans, and the superstars of SmackDown Live will head to Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio this Sunday night for the 2018 edition of WWE Fastlane.
Not only is this the final pay-per-view event before WrestleMania, but WWE Fastlane is also the final brand-exclusive pay-per-view we’ll see for a while as all the major events following WrestleMania 34 will feature superstars from both Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live.
So let’s take a quick look at the how, when, where and what you can expect from WWE Fastlane.
Event info
Event: WWE Fastlane 2018
Date: Sunday, March 11
Venue: Nationwide Arena-Columbus, OH
Start time: 8:00 p.m. ET (kickoff show begins at 7:00 p.m. ET)
Live stream: WWE Network
Full match card
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler (Six-Pack Challenge)
lt’s hard to imagine AJ Styles losing his WWE Championship this close to WrestleMania 34, especially with Shinsuke Nakamura waiting in the wings for the dream match the WWE Universe has been waiting on for quite a while, but John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler will give it a shot in this Six-Pack Challenge. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn certainly have some issues to work out after Zayn turned the tables this past Tuesday night and John Cena is still looking for his own path to New Orleans (hmmm … wonder if he’ll get there). Corbin and Ziggler are just bodies here, but this still has the potential to be a fun match.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. The New Day
The Usos and The New Day will once again battle for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, and while there are plenty out there who aren’t happy about it, I’ve got no problem with this at all. They’ve got great chemistry together, and their 2017 feud that lasted for months and months was arguably the best of the year in WWE. I think we’ll end up getting some kind of multi-team match at WrestleMania, especially with how The Bludgeon Brothers have gotten involved recently, but as they’ve done in the past, The Usos and The New Day may just steal this show.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Ruby Riott
Similar to the situation that AJ Styles finds himself in, SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair has one more match to win to guarantee her spot in a big match at WrestleMania. With all signs pointing to Royal Rumble winner Asuka taking on Charlotte in New Orleans, the outcome here isn’t really in doubt. However, Ruby Riott is improving week by week (her promo this past Tuesday night on SmackDown Live was the best she’s done) and could really impress some folks with a good showing here.
United States Champion Bobby Roode vs. Randy Orton
I thought that this United States Championship defense from Bobby Roode would eventually turn into a Triple Threat with Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal, but I think that may be the match we end up seeing at WrestleMania. Orton seems to be a little more energized these days after some unfortunate programs last year, and I hope we get even more as this is a match that could be really good if we get 100 percent from both guys. However, we may not get everything we’re looking for as it’s very likely that Mahal gets involved to further the storyline. I’m certainly not expecting a clean finish here.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev
The big build for this was Shinsuke Nakamura kneeing Aiden English in the throat and Rusev wanting revenge. Okay then. This is simply a match to give both guys something to do for the night. Rusev is crazy over right now with the “Rusev Day” thing, so I’m guessing a lot of people would have thrown a fit had he not been on the card. As for Shinsuke Nakamura, he’s just got to be itching for this pay-per-view to be over so he can start focusing on his program with Styles. There’s no way that Shinsuke loses this close to WrestleMania.
Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Natalya & Carmella
This is the “hey, we need to get these ladies some TV time” kind of match. I’m not seeing a major role for any of these four at WrestleMania outside of a multi-woman tag match on the preshow and there’s no big story coming into this one. The only thing of real importance here is keeping Carmella and that Money in the Bank briefcase on the brain.
Next: Updated list of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018
Which match are you most looking forward to at WWE Fastlane? Feel free to join in the conversation in the comments section below.